Why insecurity persists in Southern Kaduna

The National President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), Jonathan Asake, has said that lack of political will on the part of the state and Federal Governments was responsible for persistent insecurity in the zone. In this interview, the former member of House of Representatives narrates his experience to Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN.

What is the cause of the unending crises in Southern Kaduna?

Did you say unending crisis? Is it really crises or unprovoked attacks? Well, to answer your question, I can say yes, Southern Kaduna, and indeed, Kaduna State has experienced rounds of violence at different times with different magnitudes and caused by a variety of factors.From the early 1980s, we have had communal clashes as it happened in KasuwanMagani between Adara natives and Hausa settlers over land ownership.

There were one or two other clashes in Southern Kaduna, but the most well known is the ZangoKataf communal clash between Atyap natives and  Hausa-Fulani settlers over new Market relocation. However, the post Presidential election violence of 2011 heralded a new dimension into the perennial violence that has always engulfed the state which shifted from communal clashes to unprovoked invasions of peaceful and vulnerable Southern Kaduna Communities by a well organise, well trained and weII funded Fulani Militia whose sole purpose is ethnic cleansing aimed at taking over our ancestral lands and to change demographics.

Why has the crisis defied solution?

For the umpteenth time, let me remind you that what we are having in Southern Kaduna is not any form of crises or what some choose to call Farmers/Herders clashes or unknown gunmen attacks, and such other misleading narratives, no,  but invasion, decimation and occupation of our communities.

The present government in my state under Governor Nasir el-Rufai and the nation under General Mohammadu Buhari were voted on the premise and high expectation that they have the capacity and the will to decisively deal with the then prevailing insecurity in Southern Kaduna which I dare say was almost curbed by the previous administration.

Unfortunately, it is glaringly clear and very disappointing that these expectations and hopes have been dashed because the present administration has shown no willingness and capacity to stop these invasions and the ongoing massacres in our communities. As if that is not enough a new dimension of unwarranted hatred and conspiracy against the Southern Kaduna people became manifest a few months into the first tenure of Governor Nasir el-Rufai through his biased policies such as appointments, citing developmental projects, welfare, securing of our communities, etc. Also, the attacks on our defenceless communities and massacre of our hapless people did not only see a renewed resurgence, but our governor, instead of fishing out perpetrators of these crimes against humanity and bringing them to justice, he instead, shocked the world by revealing that he had traced them and paid them. What this means is that ab-initio, he knew the perpetrators of these heinous crimes, and if he ever wanted the killings to stop he had all the intelligence at his finger tip and the means to do that, but for some reason unknown to most of us, he has not demonstrated the willingness to do so. Ditto with the president. Sadly, both levels of leadership have been known for misleading narratives, inactions and cover-ups when it comes to the Southern Kaduna ethnic cleansing and displacement agenda. I still believe that if Governor Nasir el-Rufai and the Federal Government want to end these attacks on Southern Kaduna communities they can within a very short time.

Are you impressed with the way the state and Federal Government are handling the crises?

No, I’m not impressed. How can I ever be impressed when the federal and state authorities respond to the invasions based on ethnic or religious consideration. How can I be impressed when over nine communities in Zangang district in Attakar chiefdom of Laura local government area have been chased out of their ancestral lands into IDP camps for over six years now by Fulani Militia who have now occupied same lands and the government has done nothing about it.

Most of these communities are squatting in neighbouring communities only waiting for further attacks and displacements. They cannot go to their farms, and the government is not taking care of them so they are starving and dying. Tell me how I can be impressed? Please tell me. With over 18 displaced Gbagyi communities of Chikun Local Government who are squatting in dehumanising conditions around the suburbs of Kaduna while their Fulani Invaders have taken over and and brazenly occupied their villages with impunity, and the government doing nothing about it, how can I be impressed? I can never be impressed when within six months we have had to bury nearly 300 innocent Adara women and Children among others in various mass graves dotted over Kajuru local government, I can never be impressed. Seeing that over 150,000 internally displaced persons scattered all over remaining communities, only waiting for the next attack, I can never be happy not to talk of being impressed. Between 2018 and the end of 2019 Christians Communities of Southern Kaduna have had to cough out a random of atleast 420 million to kidnappers of mainly Fulani criminals, why should I be impressed? As we speak, we are yet to get explanation, not to talk of apology from government on why is it that our elders, traditional rulers, opinion leaders, clergy and Youth who, while they mourn as victims of the cruelty meted against their people that are always arrested, humiliated, and imprisoned while the leaders and Youths of Fulani perpetrators are pampered and treated as sacred Cows with blood in their hands.Finally, I can never be impressed when I look at the humanitarian crises shaking its fist before us in terms of the hundreds of thousands to feed, scores of medical bills of the injured in several Communities to pick, and the food insecurity that looks due to the fact that our people can no longer go to their farms.

Is it true that SOKAPU has reached out to the United Nations for help?

The ethnic cleansing in Southern Kaduna is no longer a local issue but has already attracted global attention. These atrocities are committed by a well organized and well sponsored Militia. To my mind, crimes against humanity of this magnitude must not be allowed to go unpunished no matter how long it takes. It is therefore a top priority to seek for justice at both domestic and international Courts for victims of these heinous crimes against both perpetrators and their sponsors or any other persons that are believed to have played a role either through their actions or inactions.

Do you suspect collaboration between the attackers and the Security operatives?

I won’t say if there is collaboration or not. Although the security agencies have tried their best to secure our communities, I must also acknowledge the fact that every community or society has its own bad elements. Indeed, we have had instances where our people complain against certain bad eggs within the military and police who show bias openly against our people and sometimes collude with the Fulani aggressors against the natives. Oftentimes, it is when the security goes into our communities, search and disarm them of their den guns, bow and arrows, kitchen knives and other tools of self defence that the invaders always move in to attack an already disarmed  community that cannot put up any resistance or defence.

So, it always appears as if the disarming of our communities by the security is deliberate in pursuit of an entrenched agenda. Most attacks are preceded by these searches and disarming of our communities.

What measure is SOKAPU putting in place to protect its members?

Well, this will be an unfair question if you’re expecting SOKAPU to physically defend its Members and secure it’s Communities, We are not a government and so the best we can do now is to sensitise our Communities on the need to be vigilant and their constitutional rights to defend themselves and properties in the face of failure of Government to carry out its constitutional duties of providing security for the people.

Are the attackers from within or outside the Country?

Well, going by President Buhari’s statement sometimes in 2016, that those that invade our communities come from Libya and ten other west African countries, a claim that was corroborated by governor Nasir el-Rufai who not only confirmed that the attackers where actually coming from other African countries, but that he traced them and paid them to stop the attacks. Just recently, governor Ganduje of Kano alluded to the fact that the attackers come from outside Nigeria heavily armed. All these attest to the fact that indeed the attackers, especially the most mindless, heartless, well arms ones are Fulanis from  within the West African Sub-region. These foreign fulanis are looking for land, and when they come into the country, they collude with the criminal elements of the local fulanis fully supported and sponsored by very influential persons to invade our communities in the most barbaric manner.

Do you think the crisis has ethnic or religious connotation?

I refused again to concede that this is a “crises” it is ethnic cleansing against the Southern Kaduna people and the middle belt. It is both ethnic and religious because over 99 percent of those massacred across our communities are christians. Also,the vast areas destroyed and occupied are all Christian communities.

How has the crisis affected the economy of Southern Kaduna people?

Southern Kaduna produces 90 percent of the most premium quality Ginger in the World but experts have said that the violence has cut our supply to the global market by 70 percent this translates to a revenue loss of some billions in the past 5 years. Again, Our general agricultural outputs have dropped by about 40 percent. Our tourism sector which attracts visitors from within Nigeria, Africa and the World have dropped by an average of 70 percent. The insecurity has also scared away foreign investors and dampened the spirit of even local businessmen who want to harness the huge economic potential of Southern Kaduna. Unfortunately, these are the kind of environments that the perpetrators of these evil want to create and maintain to pave way for no other means of economic activity than grazing of Cattle on vast captured land.

What do you think should be the permanent solution to the crisis?

Justice is the panacea. When criminals invade communities, massacre them, or displace them into IDPs and occupy the same communities, the first thing the authorities must do is to round up the perpetrators and bring them to book, at the same time return the displaced persons to their ancestral homelands.